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Mervyn Rees asked:


(c) 2008 Mervyn Rees

Cars are status symbols – there’s no getting away from it. People keep on saying about them being a means of getting from A to B but very few of us want to drive around in a car we don’t feel proud of.

While most of us want a car that’s on the “A” list, that doesn’t mean we necessarily want a car that looks just like everybody else’s. It’s a matter of combining accepted style with individual creativity.

That’s where gadgets come ‘into-their-own’. With so many of them on the market, we can pick and choose to our heart’s delight, and “design” a car that’ll reflect individual personality and style.

Exterior

Have you ever watched a stranger walk over to a parked car and give it the onceor even twiceover?

What is that makes the stranger choose that particular car to look at rather than the one in front or behind it, even though they may be the same make and model? Yes, it’s the way the exterior has been personalized.

Exterior car accessories are now a days running the gamut, from traditional chrome trim to exotic custom paint jobs, neon lighting trim and the ever-popular personalized license plates.

The most obvious exterior characteristic is the vehicle’s styling. For some time now, manufacturers have been streamlining their vehicles to reflect more attention to aerodynamics, as well as enhancing the fuel efficiency of their products. The end result is a sleek, lithe (dare one say sexy?) and highly attractive car.

Next is the endless variety of paint jobs now available. Why settle for factory green when you can mix a personalized colour you can name after yourself? For the truly conceited, you might even throw your own face on the bonnet/hood! Warning – this may elicit more laughs than accolades.

The availability of custom body garages that will do virtually anything you want to personalize your car has become nearly as commonplace as any regular mechanic. The sky literally seems the limit on what can be accomplished with some imagination and the corresponding access to seemingly limitless funds.

Interior

Once the exterior of a car has been accepted as cool, that same stranger that admired the exterior will bend down and take a look through the window. What’s it like inside?

If all he sees is dull grey seat covers, run-of-the-mill floor mats, and a standard steering wheel, he’s unlikely to be impressed.

If you want a car that looks good, the interior has to match the exterior.

Trends that are popular right now include the use of: Non-traditional materials such as real wood or aluminium, or perhaps traditional materials used in non-traditional ways (custom moulding and trim).

Mood lighting and the use of vibrant colours such as neon lime and orange are also popular.

Custom upholstery, faux animal prints, leather or even suede.

Electronic accessories like stereo and speaker systems, DVD or mp3 players, video games and security systems, give a car a degree of individuality that others will enjoy too.

The most popular accessory is currently chrome. Once confined to the exterior as merely trim, it’s now being used extensively as interior ornamentation for those who want to be seen as the baddest dog on the block. Word to ‘Yo Momma’!



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